Jane Powell - A Song in the Air The Debut Recordings (19 tracks) +Album Reviews

A Musical Treasure

Karl Hess | Sandy, Utah United States | 06/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These debut recordings by MGM's lyrical song bird Jane Powell are a fan's dream come true. These 16 songs were recorded by Columbia before MGM started their soundtrack albums and the remastering here has remarkable quality. The selections are mainly from the operetta venue for which her voice was impeccably suited and her own youthful embellishments add charm to her delightfully beautiful singing. As her voice progressed, she became the screen's most gifted lyric soprano and her beauty and charm made her a musical comedy star without peer. What a treasure we have in these early recordings and how wonderful it would be to have a compilation of the Verve recordings--the "Can't We Be Friends" album plus as extra tracks the four singles that were released--"True Love", "Mind If I Make Love To You", "A Ride On A Rainbow" and "I Have You To Thank." MGM also has a gold mine of her recordings which would make a wonderful anthology and hopefully the Turner people will compile a CD with outtakes and never-before-released material as they have done for Lanza, Garland, and Kelly. In the meantime, we have this enchanting CD as a reminder of all the reasons we cherish and revere the talents of this musical miracle we know as Jane Powell--and, of course, we have most of her movie musicals that are available in VHS and some DVD formats. A special thanks to Bernard Taylor and all of the people at Flare Records (UK) for having the vision and determination to bring this little masterpiece to us."

A Song in the Air

Karl Hess | 04/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an exqisite vocal collection by diminutive MGM musical great, Jane Powell. The pop and operetta standards offered were recorded by Powell for Columbia Records between 1946 and 1949 when she was still in her teens. The voice is small but phenomenally rich and flexible, with an astounding agility in such coloratura showcases as "The Donkey Serenade" and "The Italian Street Song". Powell also gives precocious and sensitive readings to romantic classics like "Will You Remember?" and "Lover, Come Back to Me" It is to be hoped that this British import will inspire nostalgia labels in this treasurable little artist's native America to release further compilations of both her soundtrack and pop recordings. Charlotte Church, eat your heart out!"

Brilliant singer-actress of late forties and early fifties

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 01/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Suzanne Burce's parents were determined that Jane would be the next Shirley Temple - this didn't happen but Suzanne eventually gained the recognition her parents craved when she was signed up as a teenager by MGM who were looking for the next Deanna Durbin. One of the first things that MGM did was to change her stage name to Jane Powell.

Jane had a high soprano voice just as Deanna did, but each of them had their own style. Although signed to MGM, they often lent her out to other studios and in any case did not release soundtrack recordings when they first signed Jane (they did later). So this collection, covering the period 1946 to 1949, is made up of sixteen tracks recorded for Columbia, with whom Jane secured a recording contract while signed to MGM for musicals, plus three tracks that she actually recorded for MGM after they started releasing soundtracks.

Perhaps the most famous songs here are Summertime, Over the rainbow and Ave Maria, all of which have been recorded my many different singers down the years, with new versions appearing regularly. Jane's renditions of these classics are among the best and most distinctive. Among the other great recordings here are Italian street song, Donkey serenade, Will you remember, Kiss me again, I think of you and Sweethearts - but every track here is brilliant.

This is one of two outstanding compilations of Jane's music released on the Flare label. Brilliant as this is, the other one covering her later music (Heart that's free) is even better, but I recommend that you buy both if you like this type of music."

Love Is Like This The Flare CD or Collectibles?

Bruce K. Hanson | Petersburg, VA | 09/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few years ago record producers finally recognized that releasing Jane Powell's albums on CD had been long over due. Unfortunately, in that brief period, there seemed to be a race on who would produce her Columbia recordings first. The British company Flare Records won as their first Jane Powell CD was issued in 2001. The following year the US Collectibles label released almost the identical material complete with original cover art. On the other hand, Flare includes three extra tracks from the MGM film, Nancy Goes to Rio. So...which do you buy? While the Flare CD is slighty more in price and did not have Collectible's advantage in licensing to get the best possible recordings, I honestly can not tell the difference in sound quality. Both sound very good. Also, Flare has some great photos and more extensive liner notes. The Columbia recordings were taken from 78 rpm records that Miss Powell recorded in 1946, several of which were gathered together in two albums. (In 1949 Columbia collected all of Powell's recordings and released them on four ten inch LPs.) It's interesting that at this time MGM records was just releasing its first soundtrack album with Till the Clouds Roll By yet young Jane's songs from Holiday in Mexico were re-recorded for a Columbia Records two record set. Those songs, on this CD, include "Ave Maria", "Les Filles de Cadiz", "I Think of You", and "Italian Street Song". From her other Columbia album (a three 78 rpm record set) we get such lovely songs as "Will You Remember", "Smilen Through", and "Lover Come Back to Me". Then there are some singles thrown in including a very different and quite lovely take on "Over the Rainbow" and my favorite song in this collection, the rarely recorded "Donkey Serenade" which I like just as much as Alan Jones' original. So which do you buy; the Flare or Collectibles CDs? I have not helped have I? Well, I bought both with the remorseful idea that this will probably be the last time Powell's Columbia collection will be available in record stores.

"

One Of My All-Time Favourite Musical Stars

Bruce K. Hanson | 08/30/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having grown up during the 1940s and 1950s I saw most of the big Hollywood musicals to hit the screen, and among my favourite female stars was this little lady from Portland, Oregon where she was born Suzanne Burce in 1929.

And one of my all-time favourite Jane Powell moments was the duet with Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding when she kept pace with the master on How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You (When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life?).

That, of course, was a comedy number, and while it proved she could handle any type of song, she is best remembered for wonderful offerings like Summertime, Mighty Like A Rose, and Lover, Come Back To Me.

Just a beautifully rendered album featuring one of the greatest female voices of the 20th Century. It's just too bad that no one has ever seen fit to include her one hit single in any of the volumes, or to include it in a multi-artist compilation. That would be True Love from the 1956 musical High Society [where it was sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly]. Jane's version, recorded for Verve, and backed by the Buddy Bregman orchestra, made it to a respectable # 15 Billboard Pop Top 100 that summer b/w the equally-marvelous Mind If I Make Love To You?

If you know and love Jane Powell's singing as I do you need no encouragement to buy this or any of the other CDs available. If, on the other hand, you have never actually heard her sing then get this and see what you've been missing. Guaranteed to be played over and over and over."

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